Issue Position: Healthcare

Issue Position

Issue Position: Healthcare

All Americans deserve access to affordable, quality health care. I support universal health care, including a requirement that all Americans purchase health insurance with low-cost options and assistance for those in need. My proposed Universal Health Coverage Act builds on our current employer-based system and protects government-sponsored programs.

My other health care initiatives include...

* Preserving Medicare for All Act to change the Medicare Part D program to guarantee a universally available, defined prescription drug benefit plan for seniors through Medicare;

* Medicare Preventive Services Coverage Act to waive fees for preventive services for Medicare beneficiaries and extend eligibility period for "Welcome to Medicare" physical examines. As a member of the House, my proposal to include preventative benefits in Medicare was enacted into law;

* Keep Children Covered Act, to increase funding for SCHIP, which provides millions of American children with health insurance;

* Children's Dental Health Improvement Act to require states to include dental health coverage for children in their SCHIP programs, and

* Fighting for critical funding for the National Institutes of Health, Maryland's world-class universities, and our cutting edge biotech industry, all of whom are leading the nation in innovative research to find cures for a myriad of diseases, as well as protect our citizens from epidemics or bioterrorist attacks.

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